The present invention relates to a signal converter, a server, a network information system, control methods thereof and a telephone terminal and, more specifically, to a signal converter which realizes the control of a server by using a DTMF (Dual Tone Multi Frequency) signal, i.e., a PB (Push Button) signal or a packet signal, from a telephone terminal such as a portable telephone terminal or a stationary telephone terminal, a server, a network information system, control methods thereof and a telephone terminal.
As a system in which a user can communicate with an information provider interactively, a personal computer communication system and a system that collects questionnaires in real time are known.
Particularly in recent years, along with the development of personal computer communications, a network game has been receiving attention. This network game can be enjoyed in a variety of ways such as playing against unknown players or solving riddles with a number of other players gathered in the same field.
However, the above conventional system has a problem in that each of the players must develop a computer system, which makes the game difficult to participate in for some players.
That is, when a number of players play against one another, a personal computer connected to a network environment such as LAN (Local Area Network) is essential for each of the players.
However, there are not many places with a substantial LAN environment as exemplified by offices, it has been nearly impossible to implement a LAN environment to which a plurality of personal computers are connected.
Further, when a number of players wish to play against one another, they must gather in the same field, which makes it difficult for them to play against one another.
As a solution to these problems, a network game using the Internet is available. However, such a network game also requires each player to implement a computer system and is not a system in which everybody can participate easily.
Further, in the case of the system that collects questionnaires in real time, it is necessary to use specifically designed terminals, and the implementation and modification of the system are not always easy.
If widely popular telephone terminals (stationary telephone terminals, portable telephone terminals (=mobile telephones including PHS)) can be used as controllers, the above problems can be solved at a time.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a signal converter that can respond to the information provided by an information provider (i.e., server) by using a telephone terminal as a controller, a server, a network information system, control methods thereof and a telephone terminal.
The first embodiment of the present invention is a signal converter that is connected to a server via a communication line to output control data to the server, comprising a signal-converting unit that converts a DTMF signal from a telephone terminal connected via a public communication line into predetermined control data and a data-transmitting unit that transmits the control data to the server via the communication line.
The second embodiment of the present invention is the first embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a connection-request-rejecting unit that rejects a connection request from a telephone terminal other than the telephone terminal registered in advance.
The third embodiment of the present invention is the second embodiment of the present invention, in which the connection-request-rejecting unit further comprises a connection-not-granted message-transmitting unit that transmits a connection-not-granted message to the telephone terminal other than the telephone terminal registered in advance when receiving a connection request from the telephone terminal.
The fourth embodiment of the present invention is the first embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises an audio-information-storing unit that stores audio information in advance, and an audio-information-transmitting unit that reads the audio information from the audio-information-storing unit and transmits it to the telephone terminal when audio-output-instructing data is inputted from the server.
The fifth embodiment of the present invention is the first embodiment of the present invention, in which the data-transmitting unit further comprises a data-transmission-prohibiting unit that prohibits the transmission of the control data corresponding to the telephone terminal other than the telephone terminal which is permitted to transmit the control data at a predetermined timing when receiving DTMF signals from a plurality of telephone terminals.
The sixth embodiment of the present invention is the first embodiment of the present invention, in which the number of communication lines is at least two and the data-transmitting unit transmits the same control data to the plurality of communication lines simultaneously.
The seventh embodiment of the present invention is the first embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a target-server-selecting unit that selects a server to which the signal converter should be connected via the communication line when a predetermined DTMF signal is inputted.
The eighth embodiment of the present invention is the first embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a telephone-terminal-identifying-information-providing unit that provides the server with the caller number of the telephone terminal or the caller identification number corresponding to the caller number and the line number corresponding to the telephone terminal identified by the caller number.
The ninth embodiment of the present invention is the eighth embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a line-information-storing unit that stores the caller number or the caller identification number corresponding to the caller number and the line number corresponding to the telephone terminal identified by the caller number.
The tenth embodiment of the present invention is the eighth embodiment of the present invention, in which the data-transmitting unit transmits the line number when transmitting the control data to the server via the communication line.
The eleventh embodiment of the present invention is the first embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises an audio-channel-establishing unit that establishes an audio channel which enables audio communication at least between two of the telephone terminals when a plurality of the telephone terminals are connected via the public communication lines.
The twelfth embodiment of the present invention is the eleventh embodiment of the present invention, in which the audio-channel-establishing unit establishes the audio channel between the telephone terminals corresponding to the connection-instructing data from the server.
The thirteenth embodiment of the present invention is the eleventh embodiment of the present invention, in which the connection-instructing data is predetermined binary data.
The fourteenth embodiment of the present invention is the eleventh embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a channel-disconnecting unit that disconnects the telephone terminal corresponding to the audio channel established by the audio-channel-establishing unit from the audio channel on the basis of the instruction data outputted by the server when a predetermined DTMF signal is inputted from the telephone terminal or the instruction data outputted by the server by itself.
The fifteenth embodiment of the present invention is a server that is connected via a public communication line to a signal converter comprising a signal-converting circuit that converts a DTMF signal from a telephone terminal connected via the communication line into predetermined control data and a data-transmitting circuit that transmits the control data via the communication line, which comprises an emulation unit that converts the control data received via the communication line into operation control data for the corresponding application program.
The sixteenth embodiment of the present invention is the fifteenth embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a data-transmitting unit that transmits a variety of data to the signal converter via the communication line.
The seventeenth embodiment of the present invention is a server which is connected via a public communication line to a signal converter which comprises a signal-converting circuit that converts a DTMF signal from a telephone terminal connected via the communication line into predetermined control data, a data-transmitting circuit that transmits the control data via the communication line to the server, an audio-information-storing circuit that stores audio information in advance and an audio-information-transmitting circuit that reads the audio information from the audio-information-storing unit and transmits it to the telephone terminal when audio-output-instructing data is inputted from the server, which further comprises an audio-output-instructing unit that generates the audio-output-instructing data and transmits the data to the data-transmitting unit in the server via the communication line.
The eighteenth embodiment of the present invention is a server that is connected via a public communication line to a signal converter which comprises a signal-converting circuit that converts a DTMF signal from a telephone terminal connected via the communication line into predetermined control data and a data-transmitting circuit that transmits the same control data via a plurality of the communication lines to the server simultaneously, which comprises an emulation unit that converts one of the same control data inputted via the plurality of the communication lines into operation control data corresponding to the game application program corresponding to the control data.
The nineteenth embodiment of the present invention is a server that is connected via a public communication line to a signal converter which comprises a signal-converting circuit that converts a DTMF signal from a telephone terminal connected via the communication line into predetermined control data, a data-transmitting circuit that transmits the control data via the communication line to the server, a telephone terminal-identifying-information-providing circuit that provides the caller number of the telephone terminal or the caller identification number corresponding to the caller number and the line number corresponding to the telephone terminal identified by the caller number to the server when the telephone terminal is connected via the public communication line and a line-information-storing circuit that stores the caller number or the caller identification number corresponding to the caller number and the line number corresponding to the telephone terminal identified by the caller number, which comprises a line-information-storing unit that stores the caller number or the caller identification number corresponding to the caller number and the line number corresponding to the telephone terminal identified by the caller number.
The twentieth embodiment of the present invention is the seventeenth embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a transmission-destination-specifying-data-transmitting unit that transmits the line number corresponding to the telephone terminal together with a variety of data corresponding to the telephone terminal when the variety of data are transmitted to the signal converter via the communication line.
The twenty-first embodiment of the present invention is the fifteenth embodiment of the present invention, in which the application program is a game application program and the operation control data is used as data for operating a game.
The twenty-second embodiment of the present invention is the fifteenth embodiment of the present invention, in which the application program is an application program for accumulation and the operation control data is used as data for accumulation.
The twenty-third embodiment of the present invention is the fifteenth embodiment of the present invention, in which the application program is an application program for controlling the distribution of broadcast contents and the operation control data is used as content-selecting data for a user to select a content to view.
The twenty-fourth embodiment of the present invention is the twenty-third embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a descramble-data-transmitting unit that transmits data for descrambling the content corresponding to the content-selecting data to the telephone terminal corresponding to the content-selecting data when receiving the content-selecting data.
The twenty-fifth embodiment of the present invention comprises a server comprising an emulation unit that converts control data received via a communication line into operation control data for the corresponding application program and a signal converter comprising a signal-converting unit that is connected to the telephone terminal via a public communication line and converts a DTMF signal from the telephone terminal into predetermined control data and a data-transmitting unit that transmits the control data to the server via the communication line.
The twenty-sixth embodiment of the present invention is the twenty-fifth embodiment of the present invention, in which the application program is an application program for controlling the distribution of broadcast contents, the operation control data is used as content-selecting data for a user to select a content to view, and the server comprises a descramble-data-transmitting unit that transmits data for descrambling the content corresponding to the content-selecting data to the telephone terminal corresponding to the content-selecting data via the signal converter when receiving the content-selecting data.
The twenty-seventh embodiment of the present invention is a method for controlling a signal converter that is connected to a server via a communication line to output control data to the server, which comprises a signal-converting step in which a DTMF signal from a telephone terminal connected via a public communication line is converted into predetermined control data, and a data-transmitting step in which the control data is transmitted to the server via the communication line.
The twenty-eighth embodiment of the present invention is a method for controlling a server that is connected to via a public communication line to a signal converter comprising a signal-converting circuit that converts a DTMF signal from a telephone terminal connected via the communication line into predetermined control data and a data-transmitting circuit that transmits the control data via the communication line, which comprises an emulation step in which the control data received via the communication line is converted into operation control data for the corresponding application program.
The twenty-ninth embodiment of the present invention is a server that is connected via a public communication line to a signal converter comprising a signal-converting circuit that converts a DTMF signal from a telephone terminal connected via the communication line into predetermined control data, a data-transmitting circuit that transmits the control data via the communication line, and an audio-channel-establishing circuit that is capable of establishing an audio channel enabling audio communication at least between two of the telephone terminals when a plurality of the telephone terminals are connected via the public communication lines and that establishes the audio channel between the telephone terminals corresponding to the connection-instructing data from the server, which comprises a processing unit that performs predetermined processing on the basis of the control data received from the signal converter, and a connection-instructing-data-transmitting unit that transmits the connection-instructing data for instructing the establishment of the audio channel in the audio channel-establishing unit to the signal converter when the result of the processing in the processing unit matches a predetermined condition.
The thirty-first embodiment of the present invention is the thirtieth embodiment of the present invention, in which the processing unit changes a predetermined data value registered in advance on the basis of the control data, and the connection-instructing-data-transmitting unit determines that the result of the processing matches the condition when the changed data value falls within a predetermined range.
The thirty-second embodiment of the present invention is the thirty-first embodiment of the present invention, in which the control data includes an identification number for identifying the telephone terminal connected to the signal converter via the public communication line; the processing unit changes the data value for each identification number and stores the changed data by associating them with the identification numbers; and the connection-instructing-data-transmitting unit sets the predetermined range on the basis of comparison of the data stored in association with the identification numbers.
The thirty-third embodiment of the present invention is the thirty-first embodiment of the present invention, in which the processing unit comprises a display-control unit that controls a screen display on the basis of the predetermined data; and the predetermined data is data indicating display coordinates in the display control unit.
The thirty-fourth embodiment of the present invention is a server that is connected via a public communication line to a signal converter comprising a signal-converting circuit that converts a DTMF signal from a telephone terminal connected via the communication line into predetermined control data and a data-transmitting circuit that transmits the control data via the communication line, which comprises a call-requesting unit that transmits call-requesting data that makes a call request to the telephone terminal.
The thirty-fifth embodiment of the present invention is a signal converter that is connected to a server via a communication line to output control data to the server, which comprises a signal-converting unit that converts the operation data which is included in a packet signal transmitted from the telephone terminal connected via a public communication line and which corresponds to the operations of the operating buttons of the telephone terminal into predetermined control data, and a data-transmitting unit that transmits the control data to the server via the communication line.
The thirty-sixth embodiment of the present invention is the thirty-fifth embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a connection-request-rejecting unit that rejects a connection request from a telephone terminal other than the telephone terminal registered in advance, on the basis of the telephone-terminal-identifying information included in the packet signal.
The thirty-seventh embodiment of the present invention is the thirty-fifth embodiment of the present invention, in which the connection-request-rejecting unit further comprises a connection-not-granted message-transmitting unit that transmits a connection-not-granted message to the telephone terminal other than the telephone terminal registered in advance when receiving a connection request from the telephone terminal.
The thirty-eighth embodiment of the present invention is the thirty-fifth embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises an audio-information-storing unit that stores audio information in advance, and an audio-information-transmitting unit that reads the audio information from the audio-information-storing unit and transmits it to the telephone terminal when audio-output-instructing data is inputted from the server.
The thirty-ninth embodiment of the present invention is the thirty-fifth embodiment of the present invention, wherein the data-transmitting unit further comprises a data-transmission-prohibiting unit that prohibits the transmission of the control data corresponding to telephone terminals other than the telephone terminal which is permitted to transmit the control data at a predetermined timing when receiving the packet signals from a plurality of telephone terminals.
The fortieth embodiment of the present invention is the thirty-fifth embodiment of the present invention, in which the number of communication lines is at least two, and the data-transmitting unit transmits the same control data to the plurality of communication lines simultaneously.
The forty-first embodiment of the present invention is the thirty-fifth embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a target-server-selecting unit that selects a server to which the signal converter should be connected via the communication line when a predetermined packet signal is inputted.
The forty-second embodiment of the present invention is the thirty-fifth embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a telephone-terminal-identifying-information-providing unit that provides the server with the caller number of the telephone terminal or the caller identification number corresponding to the caller number and the line number corresponding to the telephone terminal identified by the caller number.
The forty-third embodiment of the present invention is the forty-second embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a line-information-storing unit that stores the caller number or the caller identification number corresponding to the caller number and the line number corresponding to the telephone terminal identified by the caller number.
The forty-fourth embodiment of the present invention is the forty-second embodiment of the present invention, in which the data-transmitting unit transmits the line number when transmitting the control data to the server via the communication line.
The forty-fifth embodiment of the present invention is the thirty-fifth embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises an audio-packet-channel-establishing unit that establishes an audio-packet channel which enables audio communication at least between two of the telephone terminals when a plurality of the telephone terminals are connected via the public communication lines.
The forty-sixth embodiment of the present invention is the forty-fifth embodiment of the present invention, in which the audio-packet-channel-establishing unit establishes the audio channel between the telephone terminals corresponding to the connection-instructing data from the server.
The forty-seventh embodiment of the present invention is the forty-fifth embodiment of the present invention, in which the connection-instructing data is predetermined binary data.
The forty-eighth embodiment of the present invention is the forty-fifth embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a channel-disconnecting unit that disconnects the telephone terminal corresponding to the audio-packet channel established by the audio-packet-channel-establishing unit from the audio-packet channel on the basis of the instruction data outputted by the server when a packet signal including predetermined control data is inputted from the telephone terminal or the instruction data outputted by the server by itself.
The forty-ninth embodiment of the present invention is a server that is connected via a public communication line to a signal converter comprising a signal-converting circuit that converts the operation data which is included in a packet signal transmitted from a telephone terminal connected via a public communication line and which corresponds to the operations of the operating buttons of the telephone terminal into predetermined control data, and a data-transmitting circuit that transmits the control data to the server via the communication line, which comprises an emulation unit that converts the control data received via the communication line into operation control data for the corresponding application program.
The fiftieth embodiment of the present invention is the forty-ninth embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a data-transmitting unit that transmits a variety of data to the signal converter via the communication line.
The fifty-first embodiment of the present invention is a server which is connected via a public communication line to a signal converter which comprises a signal-converting circuit that converts the operation data which is included in a packet signal transmitted from a telephone terminal connected via the communication line and which corresponds to the operations of the operating buttons of the telephone terminal into predetermined control data, a data-transmitting circuit that transmits the control data via the communication line to the server, an audio-information-storing circuit that stores audio information in advance and an audio-information-transmitting circuit that reads the audio information from the audio-information-storing circuit and transmits it to the telephone terminal when audio-output-instructing data is inputted from the server, which further comprises an audio-output-instructing unit that generates the audio-output-instructing data and transmits the data to the data-transmitting unit in the server via the communication line.
The fifty-second embodiment of the present invention is a server that comprises a signal-converting circuit that converts the operation data which is included in a packet signal transmitted from a telephone terminal connected via a public communication line and which corresponds to the operations of the operating buttons of the telephone terminal into predetermined control data, a data-transmitting circuit that transmits the control data via a plurality of the communication lines to the server, and an emulation unit that converts one of the same control data inputted via the plurality of the communication lines into operation control data corresponding to the game application program corresponding to the control data.
The fifty-third embodiment of the present invention is a server that is connected via a public communication line to a signal converter that comprises a signal-converting circuit that converts the operation data which is included in a packet signal transmitted from a telephone terminal connected via the communication line and which corresponds to the operations of the operating buttons of the telephone terminal into predetermined control data, a data-transmitting circuit that transmits the control data to the server via the communication line, a telephone-terminal-identifying-information-providing circuit that provides the caller number of the telephone terminal or the caller identification number corresponding to the caller number and the line number corresponding to the telephone terminal identified by the caller number to the server when the telephone terminal is connected via a public communication line, and a line-information-storing circuit that stores the caller number or the caller identification number corresponding to the caller number and the line number corresponding to the telephone terminal identified by the caller number, which further comprises a line-information-storing unit that stores the caller number or the caller identification number corresponding to the caller number and the line number corresponding to the telephone terminal identified by the caller number.
The fifty-fourth embodiment of the present invention is the fifty-first embodiment of the present invention, in which further comprises a transmission-destination-specifying-data-transmitting unit that transmits the line number corresponding to the telephone terminal together with a variety of data corresponding to the telephone terminal when the variety of data are transmitted to the signal converter via the communication line.
The fifty-fifth embodiment of the present invention is the forty-ninth embodiment of the present invention, in which the application program is a game application program and the operation control data is used as data for operating a game.
The fifty-sixth embodiment of the present invention is the forty-ninth embodiment of the present invention, in which the application program is an application program for accumulation and the operation control data is used as data for accumulation.
The fifty-seventh embodiment of the present invention is the forty-ninth embodiment of the present invention, in which the application program is an application program for controlling the distribution of broadcast contents and the operation control data is used as content-selecting data for a user to select a content to view.
The fifty-eighth embodiment of the present invention is the fifty-seventh embodiment of the present invention, which further comprises a descramble-data-transmitting unit that transmits data for descrambling the content corresponding to the content-selecting data to the telephone terminal corresponding to the content-selecting data when receiving the content-selecting data.
The fifty-ninth embodiment of the present invention comprises a server comprising an emulation unit that converts control data received via a communication line into operation control data for the corresponding application program, and a signal converter comprising a signal-converting unit that is connected to the telephone terminal via a public communication line and converts the operation data which is included in a packet signal transmitted from the telephone terminal and which corresponds to the operations of the operating buttons of the telephone terminal into predetermined control data and a data-transmitting unit that transmits the control data to the server via the communication line.
The sixtieth embodiment of the present invention is the fifty-ninth embodiment of the present invention, in which the application program is an application program for controlling the distribution of broadcast contents, the operation control data is used as content-selecting data for a user to select a content to view, and the server comprises a descramble-data-transmitting unit that transmits data for descrambling the content corresponding to the content-selecting data to the telephone terminal corresponding to the content-selecting data via the signal converter when receiving the content-selecting data.
The sixty-first embodiment of the present invention is a method for controlling a signal converter that is connected a to a server via a communication line to output control data to the server, which comprises a signal-converting step in which the operation data which is included in a packet signal transmitted from a telephone terminal connected via a public communication line and which corresponds to the operations of the operating buttons of the telephone terminal is converted into predetermined control data, and a data-transmitting step in which the control data is transmitted to the server via the communication line.
The sixty-second embodiment of the present invention is a method for controlling a server that is connected via a public communication line to a signal converter comprising a signal-converting circuit that converts the operation data which is included in a packet signal transmitted from a telephone terminal connected via the communication line and which corresponds to the operations of the operating buttons of the telephone terminal into predetermined control data and a data-transmitting circuit that transmits the control data via the communication line to the server, which further comprises an emulation step in which the control data received via the communication line is converted into operation control data for the corresponding application program.
The sixty-third embodiment of the present invention is a telephone terminal that is connected via a public communication line to a signal converter comprising a signal-converting circuit that converts operation data into predetermined control data and a data-transmitting circuit that transmits the control data via the communication line to the server, which further comprises an operating unit having operating buttons, an operation-detecting unit that detects the operation of the operating unit, a packet-generating unit that generates a packet signal including operation data on the basis of the detected operation of the operating unit, and a packet-transmitting unit that transmits the packet signal to the server via the communication line.
The sixty-fourth embodiment of the present invention is the sixty-third embodiment of the present invention, in which the packet-generating unit generates a packet signal including the operation data corresponding to the operation of the operating button within a predetermined time period when the predetermined time period is expired after the operation of the operating button, and the packet-transmitting unit that automatically transmits the packet signal to the server via the communication line when the packet signal is generated in the packet-generating unit.